The Inquisitor and the Zero
by Chimera Spyke
Summary: Death is only the beginning as Inquisitor Ameridan finds himself summoned to the side of a young girl. Will they kill each other or will they become something great?
1. Prologue

The Inquisitor and the Zero

Prologue

 ** _Disclaimer: I own neither the worlds of Dragon Age or Familiar of Zero, I would be rich otherwise and not working a dead end job._**

Several hundred years, he had almost lost hope that anyone would come to finish his work. Binding his life to a spell, holding the living embodiment of an Avvar god of war to to it's birthplace in the Frostback Basin. It was here the Elvehn Inquisitor finally found rest, Ameridan's successor succeeded where he had been driven to a stalemate.

The "Beyond" or as the humans called it "The Fade" was a blissful transition, his life ebbing through it. To where he did not know, nor did he care so long as his beloved would be there waiting for him. Fate, however, had different plans for him.

A powerful force held the spirit of the great dragon hunter from dissipating into eternity. Confused, he thrashed, trying to free himself and press forward to his beloved.

"What is this?" The soul questioned. Before he looked around, trying to find the source of his torment.

The world took shape into a large open field, his own form returned to the way it was at the time of his death. Clad in steel plate and dragon leather that was given a golden hue by a master smith. His greying hair tied back and his Elvehn ears scanning the surroundings for any clues.

His keen eyes fell on a tall man garbed in black clothes. He looked almost like an Avvar chieftain or Thane as they were called. The man clad in black approached with certainty but held no aggressive posture. When he was within reach of the Elvehn man, he stopped. "Well met, Inquisitor Ameridan. It was long that we were at each other's throats. Now that I am free and in my right mind, I can thank you properly."

Ameridan paused, reeling at the implications of that statement. "You cannot be."

The spirit smirked, "Indeed I am the very thing you sought to kill all those years ago. I am Hakkon Wintersbreath. Thank you for holding me for as long as you could."

The great spirit did something Ameridan did not expect, he bowed his head. The gesture was not lost on the Elf who returned the gesture. "You are most welcome great spirit," the elf offered in return. "Though I cannot imagine that you held my passage for just this reason?"

"You speak truth Inquisitor, I have a task for you. One that will help you reunite with your lost love, if you are interested?" Reunite? Was he not already doing so now? What trickery was this?

"Explain," the elf demanded.

A soft, feminine voice answered his question, "Your love has been reborn in a new world. The torment an chaos of your time no longer phasing her." Ameridan turned to see a giant of a woman. Strong and beautiful but held a motherly demeanor. Another of the Avvar pantheon, The Lady of the Skies.

Next came a booming voice, one that echoed across the field and shook the very foundations they stood upon. "While now at peace, chaos will soon rear its head again. That world will require your help." This had to have been Korth, the mountain father. As tall as a mountain, the bearded man stood tall. His very head threatened to tear the "sky" above them open.

Hakkon again spoke, "Ameridan, will you answer the call? Will you reunite with your love and help her?"

Ameridan looked at the assembled deities, giving them a look that said "is this even a question?"

"I will go!" He declared.

"Good!" Hakkon shouted in triumph. "You will not remember this conversation. Your body will be restored to a point in your youth and you memories and experiences will still be there for you to draw upon."

The world faded, the great spirits that surrounded him began to flicker away before Hakkon got out one last statement, "Good luck."

 ** _Author's note:_**

 ** _This, this was a little idea that came to me. I am both shameless and using this to work out some emotions right now. I'm not certain when updates will come. We'll see._**

 ** _Also, I'm uploading this from my phone so let me know if the format is a little wonky or off. I don't know if I can do much about it but we'll see._**


	2. Chapter 1: Meeting Zero

**The Inquisitor and the Zero**

 _Chapter 1_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own neither the worlds of Dragon Age or Familiar of Zero, I would be rich otherwise and not working a dead end job._**

A beautiful Spring morning at the Tristain Academy of Magic. The birds were singing, the sun was shining and a cool breeze wafted across the school grounds. A large gathering of students in one of the many courts, signified the traditional summoning of the Second Year students' familiars.

A tall, balding man stood at the head of the group. Clothed in robes and a staff held tightly in his right hand. The glasses adorning his face were a testament to the long hours of research and grading papers late into the night.

Professor Jean Colbert sighed, it looked as though all the students had summoned their familiars and had already begun bonding with the various creatures assembled. He cast his gaze about the assembled group, looking in hopes that this trying ordeal could be over. "Has everyone summoned a familiar now?" He called out. He had expected a round of young students nodding in affirmation, instead one student sounded out above the murmurs.

"Louise hasn't yet professor!" A loud, flirtatious voice called out. He knew immediately that it came from the Germania born member of Zerbst family. Turning again, this time attempting to locate the Vallière student known for being a hard case in learning practical magic. When he finally locked eyes with the young woman, he gave her a knowing look and gave her a gesture to begin her summoning.

The girl shifted uncomfortably, but relented. As she neared the circle, Colbert could hear the taunting a and teasing of the other students. He shook his head at this. No matter the year, there is always a few that were teased or tormented by the majority of the student body. A sad reality and try as he might, he couldn't put an end to it on his own. "What's wrong Louise? Weren't you going to summon an amazing familiar that would put my Flame to shame?"

This seemed to have the desired effect of goading the petite girl on. She whirled around to face the Germanian with a fire in her eyes, "Just you wait and see Zerbst! My familiar will be far more beautiful and amazing than you're salamander!"

Professor Colbert nearly forgot the level of rivalry that the two families had. This type of animosity was only ever present between feuding nobility that were always trying to outdo the other. He had to shake his head in dismay, political rivalries never interested him as much as researching things that could benefit the whole of the country or world.

With a flourish of the young Vallière's wand, she began her incantation. 'My servant that exists somewhere in this vast universe!"

Colbert nearly balked at the way she began her summoning, the incantation was no missed by the student body present for this. It was unorthodox to say the least. The implications of such an invocation could be too great to imagine at this time. "My divine, beautiful and powerful spirit! I wish for you with all my heart! Answer my call and appear!"

A flash of light and a concussive blast followed, far different from the way the other students but the end result was all that mattered. A large cloud of dust hung in the air. Professor Colbert was about to raise his staff to dispel the dust when the teasing started.

"As expected from the Zero."

"She summoned an explosion!"

"Even is she summoned something it's probably dead after that!"

"She's little better than a commoner with her Zero success rate!"

It nearly broke his heart to hear all this jeering, he even could see the girl in question begin to doubt herself as well. A noise could be hear, it was faint at first but a groan and shuffling of what sounded like metal armor. Without thinking he raised his staff and created a small gust of wind to blow away the dirt and dust. When the dust settled, there in the center of a small crater was man clad in golden armor and an ivory colored hood over his head. He was kneeling as though he had been dealt a heavy blow.

Slowly he rose to his feet, standing only slightly taller than the one that summoned him. Professor Colbert couldn't get a good look at the man's face due to the hood, but Jean could tell he was young. Perhaps a little older than young miss Vallière, but still young enough to be considered a young man. Several strands of dark hair could be seen drifting down over the young man's face. Looking closer, Colbert could see the intricate engraved and sculpted armor set was not something one would see on a lowly foot soldier. This warrior, carried not a sword but a long, bladed stave. It looked as though it was a war axe at first with the broad bladed head and the pointed pommel; upon further inspection one could see it was definitely meant to be a staff. It's intimidation factor didn't do much to calm his nerves at this fact either.

Using staff as an assist to help himself stand, he shakily stood. The students began to murmur, mostly things about the poor girl hiring him to be her familiar. Shaking himself from his stupor, Colbert moved to stand between his student and the stranger. "Miss Vallière," he started, "I'm going to see if he is violent. Make no sudden movement until I call for you." He waited for her to acknowledge him, when she did he moved to confront the younger man.

"En'an'sal'en shem'len," the stranger spoke.

Colbert was unsure of the nature of the stranger's language but thought enough to speak in the Tristain tongue to get his attention. "I'm sorry sir, I don't understand that language." Oddly enough the Stranger tilted his head to the side, either confused or in understanding.

The stranger straightened his posture and spoke back, "It is quite all right. I did not realize I was in a place that speaks the Orlesian language." From this close up, the professor could see that the younger man had tattoos on his face, or what little of his face that could be seen.

"Do you know where you are? Why you are here?" The professor asked.

The stranger thought for a moment, "I don't know. This is saying a lot as I am well traveled throughout Orlais and Ferelden. Yet in my life I've never laid eyes on a place such as this. Where is this place?"

"You are in the country of Tristain on the continent of Halkeginia." The good teacher was truly intrigued. The stranger had mentioned two nations he had never heard of. He had wanted to learn more but a slight shuffling behind him brought him back to reality. Turning to his student, professor Colbert beckoned to his student to his side. "I am professor Jean Colbert. I am a teacher here at the Tristain Academy of Magic. This is the student that apparently summoned you."

The young girl approached the two men and gave the taller man in armor a scowl that could kill a druffalo. "I am Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière," she declared with a haughty tone in her voice. From her position, Louise could see more of the man's face. He did in fact have tattoos all over his face, intricate and in many lines and patterns showing leaves and tree branches. If she had to admit to herself, they were almost beautiful. She turned to professor Colbert with an eyebrow raised, "Professor, a human, much less a commoner has never been summoned before. What am I going to do?"

"It's simple Louise," he said with a confident air. "You summoned him. Complete the ritual and contract him as your familiar."

The two in question, Louise and the stranger looked at Colbert as though he had grown a second head. "What!" They both exclaimed with obvious incredulousness.

Louise looked from the stranger to her teacher, obviously not sure what to do. The armored man looked hard at the man who had made the statement, "Have I no say in this? I was in to middle of looking for someone, I cannot take time to babysit a child."

"It is either you become her familiar, or miss Vallière is expelled from this school." There was a hint of finality in that statement as Louise weighed her options. The "Rule of Steel" her very own mother made her live by told her to press forward, despite this obvious set back. If she didn't do this, she would have to leave in disgrace. She would be little better than a commoner. There was only a moment's hesitation as she began the final ritual.

"Pentagon of the five elements," she quoted. Gaining the attention from the two men. "Bless this creature and make him my familiar." She reached up with both hands and gripped the man's head. "Be greatful," she stated with a grumble. "A commoner would never get something like this from a noble." With that, she kissed him. To say the man was startled at first was an understatement. It wasn't a deep and passionate kiss, in fact barely a little peck on the lips but it was enough to grab his attention.

He blinked, this girl just kissed him on a whim. He had just gotten his footing back when the skin under his right gauntlet began to itch. It was annoying at first, but slowly built itself up from that to a burning pain. He gripped his hand, trying to scream in pain before his consciousness was lost to darkness.

 ** _Author's Note:_**

 ** _And with that, I leave you all with this cliffhanger. A big thanks to AzrielIlluminare, Dungeon Wyrm, amituhuran and RazedragonOAO for following and/or favoriting this story. Please read, review or tell me how bad I've gotten over the course of... Wow, 12 years. Boy I feel rusty._**

 ** _Image used for the staff description: https/heroesofda/hero-art/_**


	3. Chapter 2: Meetings

**The Inquisitor and the Zero**

 **Chapter 2**

 _Disclaimer: I own neither the worlds of Dragon Age or Familiar of Zero, I would be rich otherwise and not working a dead end job._

The coolness of the air, a slight breeze that tickled at the former Inquisitor's face. The night had fallen, had he been out for that long? Ameridan registered something else as he lay. It was soft, softer than the sleeping mats he had become accustomed to. Had he been given a bed? Though it seemed as though they had left him in his armor, he'd likely need to stretch to get rid of any kicks that would later develop. Still, it was an overly luxurious bed to say the least but Ameridan couldn't laze about. Sitting up and opening his rebellious eyes, he took in the surroundings of the dimly candlelit room.

He scanned his surroundings, he could make out a rather small looking room without much furnishing with the exception of a table, a dresser and a few curtains. Though they were simple furnishings, upon closer inspections one could see that the pieces were of fine make. It screamed "nobility." After all, only a noble could afford such finely crafted pieces of furnishing without braking their life savings.

Movement caught his gaze, his head snapped to the source to find the same young girl from before. Now that he thought of it, it seemed a bit on the unnatural side for a young girl to have pink hair. He would have to remember to ask if it was a condition or some sort of ailment. As soon as he had shifted, the noble born girl turned to him with a visible scowl on her face. "You're finally awake." Her voice made it clear she was likely in a mood.

He groaned, his muscles giving more protest to moving about. "Indeed da'lin. I am sorry to have inconvenienced you for this long." While his tone was sincere, he was quickly becoming agitated to this human's attitude. That was odd, he hadn't remembered being this eager to anger since he was younger.

Louise on the other hand tapped her foot on the stone floor, it was late and sleeping on her bed for the longest time was this stranger. For all intents and purposes he was a vagrant or mercenary from another nation. Still, he was at least making an effort to be polite. "I suppose it couldn't be helped," she stated.

She stood from her table and made her way over to the sitting man on her bed. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry this is happening to you. However, as much as I hate to admit it I need you. You're the only thing that shows I'm a true Mage." It almost surprised her how she was treating this man. He was still a commoner, a plebeian who was going to serve the nobility. Foreigner or not, he would take his place as her servant. "You were summoned as my familiar. As the contract was sealed you will become my servant. As such, you will not be needing that armor or your weapon."

Aremidan had started to find a bit of sympathy for the pink haired girl. That was until she had to absolute gaul to even suggest he didn't have a choice. He grit his teeth and clenched his fists with with several loud popping sounds as his knuckles popped from the strain. She was effectively forcing him into slave labor. Something his own people fought fiercely against since the time of Andraste. He would not be a slave, he was a Dalish elf! None of them would ever submit again!

"Your next words had best be chosen carefully da'lin." His voice was calm, even and cold. It brokered no arguement and promised swift retribution should she continue her line of conversation.

Louise had always prided herself on being intelligent, so in the moment she had heard his statement she knew she had crossed a line. Pride, however, spurred her to continue but at a more subdued pace. "Please understand," she continued, "I don't want to do this as much as you. I had wanted to summon something like a griffon or a dragon. Instead you appeared and I've become a laughing stock."

Ameridan took a moment to ponder her words, becoming less agitated and more annoyed at Louise. "How is this my fault da'lin? I did not ask you to summon me. It was my understanding of the arcane arts that living flesh and blood things could not be summoned. Spirits and beasts of the Beyond perhaps but not the living." If the living could be summoned, this could be problematic. What sort of profane magic could these foreign mages be using to summon creatures and men to themselves? Could it be Blood Magic? There had been no sign of blood at the site he had been pulled to this country. Perhaps he was jumping to conclusions but he would need to do more research on the magics of this land.

Louise for her part, was taken aback by the man's statement. He studied magic? Could have been a foreign noble? The implications were not good. A foreign nation could use a noble's abduction as a means to start a war with Tristain, which could end badly for the small country if she was understanding the current state of the nation correctly. This situation needed to be rectified quickly. "You know magic? This changes everything." Her posture and demeanor changed, adopting a thoughtful and contemplative pose.

This threw Ameridan for a loop. Simple magical knowledge was enough to change a situation? Lightly shaking his head, he would need to know more before making random suppositions about this situation. Tilting his head to the right and raising a brow he asked, "How?" It was a simple question, but it carried a lot of weight to it.

This brought Louise from her thoughts, she blinked at the man's words. "Well from the sound of it, you're a foreign noble that I summoned. If that's the case, your armor and weapon make sense in that light. I can't in good conscious make a fellow noble a familiar in the traditional sense."

She continued to muse and mumble to herself afterwards. It would've been comical if he wasn't still a bit agitated. "Da'lin," he said, gaining her attention. "I appreciate that you are willing to work with me. These events have been trying, I feel the night air may be the only thing that can calm my nerves." He moved to the door, noticing the girl's worry. "I won't leave the grounds. Come find me in the morning."

"Wait!" Louise exclaimed. "What is you name?"

"My name is Ameridan." She actually asked his name. In the entire time he knew her, she never once asked it from him. It was a start he supposed but he gave a slight smile at this knowledge. "I shall see you in the morning. We shall talk more on this arrangement then." Opening and closing the door, he made his way into the Academy proper.

Ameridan made his way through the corridors of the school. From his time as Inquisitor, he had seen the insides of many a castle. It was a fairly standard castle design. Opulent decorations, vaulted ceilings and winding staircases were the common staple of a noble's castle. Taking in the detail of the corridor he was currently walking down, he did the one thing that he had trained many hours to break himself of. He lost focus and stumbled into one of the academy staff.

A high pitched squeal and a loud crash sounded through the hall, the two individuals sprawled across the center of the hallway. Anyone coming across the two people entangled together would've been treated to a most scandalous sight. Ameridan lay atop a fail busty young maid with his face planted firmly in her chest. With a groan, the armored elf pushed himself up which elicited steal from the girl below him. When his vision returned, he saw the beet red face of the human under him.

It took all of three seconds for Ameridan to realize his predicament. In a blur of motion that he hadn't had for years of his reckoning, he disentangled himself from the young maiden. "I'm terribly sorry miss!" He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head with his right hand while offering the left hand to help her up. "Are you hurt at all?"

Hesitantly, the maid took his hand. Still flushed from their ordeal she pulled herself up with this stranger's help and began to dust herself off. After a moment of observing this stranger's demeanor before settling on armored cloak the man had on. It's golden color said only one thing to her and it chilled her to the bone. He was a noble. That chill down her spine was only intensified the longer she remained quiet. In a panic, she quickly curtsied as low as she could dare in her outfit and began her own apology. "Please forgive, my lord. I wasn't aware of anyone was still up or that we had visiting dignitaries at this time."

Amneridan looked at her unsure what to say. She had addressed him as "my lord" to which he hadn't been addressed in what felt like a long time. Still, he was no lord, nor was a leader in this strange land. He waved off the apology good with small smile. It seemed like it was the first time he had smiled in a while, well not counting his encounter with his successor of course. Though that was a ghost of a smile to be honest. "You're apology is unnecessary miss. I was too distracted by this place and how well kept it was that I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I'm normally more observant, please accept my most humble apologies."

He gave the maid an apologetic bow, completely throwing the poor maid for a loop. She quickly glanced about, wondering if someone had put him up to being nice to the commoner staff member. Blushing profusely, she nodded her acceptance. "Please my lord. I'm a commoner, you shouldn't be bowing to me."

He rose from his bowing with a slightly wider smile on his face. "If the standard of nobility is what I've seen so far," he countered. "Then I am very glad to be called a common man." With a more subdued nod, he extended his arm and offered it in a greeting. "My name is Ameridan. I'm new to your lands and a stranger to your ways." Now that Ameridan could get a good look at this woman, he was amazed that she was only a bit older than the young girl that had summoned him. At least that's what he thought. Humans were always difficult to tell their age when they were young. She was at least an inch taller than himself with black hair and blue-gray eyes. Her hair was cropped into a bob cut that framed her face like a picture. He had to admit she was pretty cute, for a shem'len.

He was a commoner like herself. Yet he wore such armor that most noble's or Knights would kill for. Reluctantly, she took the hand in greeting and clasped it lightly. "I'm Siesta. I work here in the Academy as part of the cleaning and wait staff."

"A pleasure Siesta." His smile looked more genuine now. A somewhat normal meeting if he could be honest. "It's actually a chance meeting I suppose. I was looking for one of the staff to see if I could borrow some clothing. Though I'll admit I was hoping to run into the male staff instead... For obvious reasons of course."

He needed clothing. He didn't come to a foreign land with traveling clothes? For a moment she thought he was an imbecile despite his manners and demeanor. Then it hit her; there were rumors from earlier that there was an odd occurrence at the second year students' summoning ritual where a commoner was summoned instead of an animal. "By any chance Ameridan, were you the one that was summon by Miss Vallière?" At the mention of that name, his mood shifted. Thankfully, it wasn't drastic but Siesta could tell he was at most annoyed at hearing it. A nod from him told her everything. "Then I suppose I might be able to help. The servants always have extra clothes in stock. If you follow me I'll help you out."

With a smile, he stepped out of her way and gave a slight bow. "Please lead the way my lady." Siesta giggled at that and led him through the the halls to the store rooms.

Siesta made good on her promise. Not only had she given Ameridan a few changes of clothes, she even gave him a sack to keep things like his armor in until he fLund better accommodations for himself. He thanked he repeatedly, drawing several blushes from her as she was not used to being treated as though she were an important figure or even a noble woman.

Before taking his leave, Siesta stopped him. "Sir Ameridan. If you're going to be staying on Academy grounds, you can come by the kitchen for meals if you need them."

With a gracious smile, he nodded and made his way out of the Academy building and into the night air as he had originally intended. The air was cool and calming on his already healing nerves. He got only a few steps onto the lawn before he cast his glance up into the sky. The pack he carried over his shoulder falling to the ground as he followed suit to his knees, eyes transfixed on the site before him.

The stars stranger's to him, they were not the same stars he had remembered from deep into his childhood until the day he died. No, these were all new stars. However, the site before him was far more disturbing than the stars. Stars can be explained by being in a different land, but what his gazed locked onto was far more disturbing. "Spirits! Why are their two moons?"

 **Author's Note:**

 **And that's where I leave off for this time. I hope you all enjoy it. Getting back into the art of writing is not easy. I've pretty much gotten so rusty I've allowed my chapters to get shorter and shorter. I appreciate everyone that's left a comment or reviewed the story so far. It really helps motivate me to keep writing. Working in a call center does not keep your motivation very high. So yeah, keep telling me the things, things are good.**

 **I don't know why, all my current reviewers have wanted me to make Ameridan go on a rampage and massacre the school... I don't see it from him. However, I may try something with The Spirit of Justice which likely will be much more violent. Granted, I'm not sure if that'll be a one shot story or not. Should it be Anders and Justice or just Justice? The plan is in the works. When it'll come about, we'll see.**

 **As a key note, Weird Al Yankovik makes good writing music. XD**

 **A special thanks to the following people for following:**

 **amituhuran**

 **1 One Piece Fan**

 **Ceifeiros**

 **KisaragiKei**

 **MCDante 47**

 **Rodeka**

 **Blue Zenith**

 **gold crown dragon**

 **xbox432**

 **Blooddragon332**

 **MrMayhem FF**

 **OCCreator21**

 **Until next time!**


	4. Chapter 3: Dreams and Duels

**The Inquisitor and the Zero**

Chapter 3

 _Disclaimer: I own neither the worlds of Dragon Age or Familiar of Zero, I would be rich otherwise and not working a dead-end job._

Two moons. There were two moons hanging in the sky, a normal occurrence in Thedas but they were closer to the naked eye. Not only that, but they both held a difference hue than the ones he was familiar with. At first, Ameridan wore a shocked and horrified expression. Pulling his hood back, he tried to see if he could get a better view of this phenomenon, curiosity winning out over his shock or worry. Nothing about this revelation made any remote sense to him. The craters that graced each moons' faces didn't resemble the pristine orbs that he spent many a night committing to memory in his youth.

It was an odd feeling, to look upon a sky with different celestial objects then what you were born under. The larger of the two moons had a blue hue to it, while its smaller counterpart bore a slightly red coloration to its countenance. Marvelous to be sure if still a bit unsettling. Yet another thing to add to his study list.

Filing this line of thought away for later, Ameridan began his exploration of the Academy grounds. Occasionally taking note of a peculiar landmark or object, he hadn't recognized. This continued for at least a half hour before the day began to finally wear on him. The thought of returning to the embrace of sleep was not appealing to Ameridan at first, though he did remember some of his old traveling companions mentioned. Pain induced unconsciousness was not the same as actual sleep.

After contemplating his surroundings for a bit, he found a good tree to rest under. A good dwarven friend of his once gave him some good advance for sleeping under trees; he couldn't help repeating the phase under his breath. "If you're camping under trees, solroka, keep your hood up in case a bird decides to crap on you." He gave a chuckle at the age-old advice, remembering how when he didn't follow it that he had woken up with bird splatter on his face.

Lifting his hood once more, he settled against the tree and promptly let the sweet embrace of sleep wash over him.

Ameridan dreamt like he had in the past, at least from what he could remember from his time before the Frostback Basin. The Fade was strangely empty in his current location. He would normally recall spirits, wisps or even the occasional demon. The current area he occupied had nothing moving about. Another thought struck Ameridan. He found himself looking around in the "sky" for something that had been familiar to him since his gift for magic manifested.

"I can't see it? Where is it?" His search gave way to panic. It was always there, a constant reminder of the Chantry's claim that their God had once made his home in the Fade. "Where is the Black City? It should be here where I can see it!" He balled his fists and shook slightly. The moons had been one indication of his growing theory, but this took the fancy Orlesian cake. "This isn't my Fade, this isn't my Thedas is it?"

"I don't know what Thedas or what a Black City is," came a voice from over Ameridan's shoulder. "However, I'm pretty sure I've never seen an Elf like you around here." The owner of the voice appeared to be a wizened old man. Having dealt in the Fade almost all his life, he knew right from the start that this wasn't a mortal being. It didn't feel as aggressive as a demon, he would still need to be careful in his dealings regardless. Spirits as well as demons were always one dimensional, always taking a single aspect and giving a broad description.

Ameridan kept his confidence and gathered his wits about him. "If you don't know then explaining could prove difficult. Though I am thankful for the company this evening."

"In truth you peaked my curiosity. I've seen elves before but never have I seen one in this part of the world. I am Giwari*, a sprint of knowledge here in the spirit of realm." The wizened old being gave a slight bow in respect.

Knowledge spirits were not all that common in the Fade. They were powerful and often relished in provided knowledge or information to those that sought it. Often for a price to those that the spirit is unfamiliar with. Thankfully, Ameridan noted, this spirit didn't appear to be overly aggressive. Perhaps he could make a contact here, or at the very lease someone with which he could vent to. "Well Giwar, I'm Ameridan. Formerly of Dalish clans in Thedas. It is a pleasure to meet a friendly face finally."

"A friendly face you say? If the waking world is as unfriendly as you say, then perhaps you'd do well to keep dreaming then young one." They both chuckled deeply at that. It was odd to find a spirit that had a sense of humor, they often didn't understand emotion or how mortals viewed things. This spirit was indeed an old one if it had been. Able to grasp the concept of humor.

"Perhaps, but one cannot spend their entire life dreaming. Since being summoned to this world, I've not had all the warmest of welcomes." He lamented. "Still, I'm confident I can turn this band hand into a winner." As he finished his declaration, his confident smile returned. The spirit seemed to accept this.

"Summoned you say," it pondered. "Perhaps that was what was felt; what brought me here to see what the cause was. Truly, such a powerful summon could only happen once in few generations of mortals." It mused further, not really saying much. Hoping that Ameridan would fill in the gaps. Ameridan caught on to the wiles of the older spirit, not volunteering information but contributing to the conversation.

"So, you felt tremors or is it more like waves? Regardless, you felt an event and were curious? Spirits of knowledge are seldom venture from their territories on mere curiosity." Ameridan let the question hang, hoping that Giwar would offer more clarity. It seemed to do the trick since it drew a chuckle out of the spirit.

"Well curiosity may not be the right word. I'm not all that fluent with mortal conversation like I used to be. Perhaps 'drawn' is the correct word for what I felt. Drawn by a familiar and unfamiliar magic." Giwar turned his gaze from the distance to Ameridan with focused precision. "I know the call of magic. While yours is strange it is still the sign of a Mage is it not?"

The jig was up, Ameridan laughed and raised his hands in surrender. They spent the rest of their time exchanging information about the comings and goings of this mirrored Fade. The history of Halkeginia or whatever history Ameridan found that peaked his interest.

Slowly but surely, Ameridan felt his hold on the realm of dreams and spirits loosen. This always signaled him leaving the confines of sleep. He turned back to Giwar, dreading the return. "It seems I will be taking my leave friend."

Giwar smiled, he could feel Ameridan's hold weaken as well. "I am glad I got to meet a mage like you friend Ameridan. Should you ever have news of knowledge or just talk of things, this will allow you to find me." Raising a hand, Giwar produced a glyph held in a deep violet aura.

Spirit glyphs were always useful, they had a variety of uses from summoning to communication with the spirits that bestowed them. If one transcribed the glyph onto one's flesh like Vallaslin one could channel the spirits power for various purposes. It is never a gift to be taken lightly.

Ameridan accepted the gift with a respectful bow. "Thank you Giwar. I look forward to our next meeting."

Giwar smiled a wrinkled smile, starting to fade along with the rest of the realm. "As do I friend Ameridan. May you find mysteries and wonders in this new life of yours."

The sun was just on the horizon, as if peeking to see if it were safe to come and start the day. "At least some things don't change," he mumbled to himself. A quick check of his hood showed no birds had felt the need to practice their aim.

Dusting himself off as he stood, Ameridan saw that the Academy staff were already hustling and bustling about the school grounds. He smiled, he was used to seeing things like this since his induction into the Inquisition. Still, it was a welcome site. After musing for a bit, he took notice of something that felt odd to him, there were no Elvehn servants in this school.

Elvehn servants throughout the Orlesian Empire and beyond were common place. So much so that Ameridan had made the mistake of assuming that the same was a fact here in Halkeginia as well. However, everywhere he walked, it was a human that he beheld. Just when he was becoming further lost in thought, he was nearly doubled over by a food cart of all things. One thing was for certain, the food cart was a formidable opponent. With a groan, Ameridan thanked the Creators and The Maker under his breath before looking at a slightly panicked Siesta.

"Founder's mercy! Sir Ameridan, are you hurt?" She was fretting over as though he were an injured puppy. It was adorable, if a bit unsettling.

Raising his hand to placate her, he finally was able to get a word out. "I'm fine Miss Siesta." He said righting himself so that he didn't inadvertently crush the flimsy looking food cart the young lady had been pushing. "I hope you don't mind me asking Siesta, but why are you in such a hurry? The sun hasn't even broken the horizon."

Siesta smiled at his question. "Oh, I don't mind it at all. One of my fellow servants is sick and I have to pick up a few more responsibilities for the day."

Ameridan nodded in understanding, a thought popped into his head. "Perhaps I could help you in your duties today? I feel bad that you expected nothing in return for the extra clothing you gave me. If nothing else, I'd like to pay you back for your kindness."

Siesta was taken aback, this man had the bearing of a nobleman but treated her as though she were an equal. Her mind nearly flatlined, causing her to stare at the strange man for a moment before shaking her head to clear any stray thoughts. After all, she had a job to do. "I have no problems with you helping me, Sir Ameridan. If your willing, I won't refuse."

"Excellent!" He exclaimed, his smile evident under his hood. "Not many know this but in Dalish Clans everyone pulls their weight. The leaders, their apprentices, everyone picks up the slack for daily life. Magic, no magic, if you can't pull your weight you're considered little more than a child, or you're exiled from your clan." He followed Siesta, she kept asking him about where he came from. He honestly didn't mind answering her curiosity. It was a welcome comfort, he could only hope the one that summoned him to this strange new world would at the very least take such an interest in him.

Both Siesta and Ameridan spent their morning doing various tasks from cleaning to preparing the morning meals. Ameridan surprised with his knowledge in the arts of both etiquette as well as his knowledge of cleaning. It was during afternoon tea that Ameridan finally had his fated encounter. Louise de La Vallière sat at a small garden table with only a single chair, of which she was the sole occupant. Thankfully, he was going to call his helping Siesta over for the day. She had already told him that he had more than paid him back for the clothing.

As Ameridan picked up his last piece of dessert to hand out, a young man and his entourage passed in front of him. This wasn't out of place as it seemed to be a popular place for the young mages to come and dally between their classes. Ameridan's eyes, however spied a bottle fall out of the young blonde-haired boy's robes. They passed by quickly enough that Ameridan couldn't stop him, Ameridan made a mentor note of which direction the youth were headed for later. Picking up the bottle with as much grace as the Dalish mage could muster while balancing a small dessert plate in hand, a feat he had his late beloved to thank for, he made his way to his objective.

Placing the treat at her table, Ameridan noted that the young pink haired girl started at the sound of the plate touching the table. He hadn't intended on sneaking up on her, it wasn't his style after all. He gave her a slight bow saying, "Forgive me, Louise. It wasn't my intention to scare you." The startled girl quickly looked at the man; her face quickly went from shocked to annoyed in a time frame that Ameridan was surely a record somewhere in the world.

She grumbled which seemed to manifest itself as an annoyed pout; it looked cute, he thought, despite the rather sour greeting it portrayed. "Your apology is noted and accepted Sir Ameridan."

'And we're back to this,' he inwardly groaned. 'At least it's progress,' he thought. Taking a relaxed pose on the other side of the garden table Louise occupied, Ameridan looked down at the young girl to read his opposition. If these people were anything like the Orlesians of his homeland, then he couldn't afford to miscalculate at the bargaining table. 'The Great Game' as it was called; the national pastime of the social elite of Orlais. "You seemed deep in thought, anything that you were thinking on in particular?" He asked with an air of bemusement.

She had been expecting this question of his. In truth he had been the one she was thinking about so much that she had hardly slept; his small talk was the hallmark of the upper class; she almost gave out her answer right then and there, but policed her words quickly. This was now a negotiation, her mother's "Rule of Steel" echoing in the back of her mind; strengthening her will to not lose out in this bargain.

With a deep breath, she composed herself quickly. Drawing upon all the knowledge she had of these types of meetings which, if she were being honest wasn't much at all, she formulated a quick plan of attack. "Actually, I was thinking about our current situation." She stated with a bit of confidence. She couldn't appear weak here, he had already left once and if she didn't handle this right she could end up being expelled from the school and forced to be essentially trophy wife at best. She wouldn't let that happen. "You're not a typical summon creature. As you've seen and likely heard about, summoned familiars are usually animals that can be bonded to the summoner. You're different though, I've never heard of a human being summoned which makes this a little different than most."

Ameridan nodded, keeping up so far. "Makes sense. Your professor seemed to hint that the summoning was one way as well."

"Which means we can't approach this traditionally," she mused aloud. Now came the hard part. Now she needed to put some "chips" on the proverbial table to sweeten the deal. "I'm not going to lie, I need you as proof of my ability as a Mage. I'm loathe to ask this but, I need your help. You're a noble so I can't order you to do anything, but I also don't have the funds on hand to hire you as a proper bodyguard..."

Even though Louise let the sentence drag out, Ameridan thought about what she was insinuating. His only real thoughts were that she was terrible at "The Game" since she was putting so much onto the table. Any avid player of "The Game" or even Wicked Grace would tell you not to reveal too much at the start. "The Game" was built on deception, subterfuge and lies after all, those that played would've played for keeps. He made a mental note to teach her to play better, Maker know she'd probably be dead if she ever came across a real player.

'Best to just remove the bandage as the saying goes,' he thought. With a deadpan look, he stared straight into the young woman's eyes. "You're terrible at this, you know that?" She visibly retracted, another obvious sign she didn't know how "The Game" was played. "If you had tried that in the Imperial Court, you would have been fleeced for all you were worth and likely sent off to a brothel before you were even aware you made a mistake." Perhaps he was overly blunt, but she needed to know that she wasn't even close to being in his league. "As the friend of Emperor Drakon, I've had to learn to play 'The Great Game' as the Orleseans call it. Through my mastery of the 'The Game,' I have amassed much influence and power throughout the Empire and beyond."

The girl stared at him in awe. Not only was he a noble, he was influential. If she hadn't flubbed so badly here, he could have been an asset. Louise's face began to look crestfallen when he spoke again. "I could teach you if you like," he added. Her head snapped up, unsure if he was joking or not. His earlier deadpan expression changing to one of a genuine smile beneath that odd hood. "I have some conditions if we're are going to go through with this whole 'familiar' thing."

She should have expected that. After all, he wasn't an animal but a thinking human after all. She had to make a few concessions in this case. It took Louise all of one second to nod her agreement to this new condition-based arrangement. "What are your conditions?"

"I will be your bodyguard when you leave the school grounds, I will teach you of the intrigues of 'The Game' and even show you a few magical tricks I've learned in my time," he started. He was going to help her with magic? This was a good deal to start off with. "In exchange I want knowledge of this world and it's magic. It will help me teach you my tricks and may even allow me some insight into a few other things."

So far, Louise was likely the deal. It seemed like he didn't want anything much in return, which will benefit her in the long run. Her musings were cut short when he spoke up again. "I expect to be treated as an equal, not a servant. The moment you start treating me as such, I will consider our contract broken and leave without any hesitation." She knew that was coming. She knew herself enough to know how hard it was to control her temper, it was something she would need to work on.

At her nod of acknowledgement, Ameridan smiled and nudged the dessert plate toward the young girl. "Then we have an accord. We'll 'bond' a bit more in a moment I think." He pulled the odd blue bottle from his pocket and flashed a toothy grin underneath his hood. "In the meantime, I have a good deed to complete. A young lad lost this little bottle and I would be remiss if I didn't return it to him." Before she could even say a word, he was off. She inwardly groaned at his antics but would address them later.

Ameridan didn't get far before he saw the small crowd of young men that had passed him earlier. Boys were the same, no matter what race they were. In this case, Ameridan could see the young man at the center of this small gathering fitting in quite nicely in the courts of Orlais. He approached the group who either didn't notice him or thought him a common servant not even worth paying attention to. This was all good to Ameridan; he didn't need to speak with these boys about much.

As he drew closer, he could hear more of what the group was talking about. "Come on Guiche! At least give us a hint about whom you're dating!" Ah, flirtatious conquests. A fairly common practice among little cliques like these were bragging about how often you could obtain the heart of a young lady. He wasn't a stranger to this type of behavior, but this was not his favorite past time.

"Now gentlemen," the central figure stated with a flourish of his hand and a flip of his hair. "A true gentleman never kisses and tells. After all, a rose will bloom for the benefit of all!" Ameridan, being a good player of The Game knew enough to interpret what that meant. This Guiche was likely two timing multiply young ladies, this would never end well if more than one party found out. Perhaps there would yet be some entertainment around this school. In fact, even under his hood, he could hear someone fast approaching. Perhaps the Maker's retribution will be far swifter than he originally thought. 'This is going to be good,' he thought to himself.

With a smirk on his face, Ameridan walked around the group; giving the "leader" of the group a light tap on his shoulder. "Forgive my intrusion young ser," he stated with a courtly bow. "You had dropped this bottle before. I merely wished to return as soon as possible and return to my business." Rather more forceful than he had meant to, Ameridan took the boy's hand and placed the bottle of liquid in the awaiting appendage. Before Guiche could protest, Ameridan beat a hasty retreat, nearly running into two young ladies in the process. The first was a blonde-haired girl that was styled in a manner that Ameridan had not been witnessed to before. Ringlets, perfectly styled and layered to frame her face. Her uniform was the same style as Louise's which meant that the two were likely classmates.

The other girl had dark brown, almost black hair and had a brown coat. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, showing more of her high cheek bones, making her cute, younger features more apparent. They both looked to him expectantly; before either girl could ask him any questions, he turned his head to glance back at Guiche's direction and nodded. "If you're looking for young Ser Guiche, he is back there with his entourage."

"Thank you, good sir," the young brown-haired girl said as the blonde pushed past him. He couldn't suppress his smirk and subsequent chuckle when he heard two loud smacks, which he immediately knew to be divine retribution at it's finest. His work done for now, he made his way back to his newest partner. He'd have to make it a point to show Louise how to play this part of The Game; it was always his favorite part. Getting a leg up on an overly arrogant fool is always a wonderful feeling.

He had nearly gotten back to Louise before his walk was quickly interrupted by a quick jerking sensation from his left shoulder. Wide Elvehn eyes, narrowed as the boy from before came into view with a scowl and a dainty, hand-shaped imprint on either cheek. The slight swelling to the blonde boy's face was just icing on the tiny Orlesian cake. "You!" The fop-ish boy bellowed. A quick glance around the courtyard told Ameridan this was not just a heat of the moment thing. This boy planned to make a scene and was about to do something foolish. "You caused two fair maidens to cry! How do you plan to take responsibility for this commoner?"

Shifting the blame. Another common tactic in The Game that only beginners would even lower themselves to use, let alone make it public when the wrong doing was within plain view of others to see; this kid wouldn't stand a chance against a master of The Game, let alone Ameridan. There were many ways to combat this level of attack, one could outwit your opponent with quips, a good tongue lashing, or verbal dressing down would humble this weak opponent. Ameridan, however, was feeling an odd bout of aggression today. Likely it was pent up frustration from his current situation. Still, it was about time he picked a fight, if only to show these brats to never underestimate the Elvehn. "Me? Take responsibility for your failure as a man?" Ameridan feigned offense. "Child, you are out of your mind if you think I'm responsible for you getting found out. Two-timing those two girls was disgraceful. The sting you're feeling is your just dessert for your foul deed."

A low blow, but he could only hope that this Guiche would take the bait. His fears, however, were unfounded. The boy fumed. Ameridan thought he could hear the boy grinding his teeth. If he weren't trying to keep a serious facade, he would have smirked at how easily the boy was being played. Were none of these Halkeginia children ever taught how to play The Game? He was little better than Louise if he were being honest, but nowhere near a true player.

"You dare!" The boy seethed through gritted teeth. "A commoner like you should know his place!" Ameridan could see veins bulging on the young man's forehead. This was going better than he expected. "I challenge you to a duel!"

Perfect. It was all Ameridan could think. Just as he was about to accept the boy's challenge a familiar, shrill voice came from behind him. "Guiche! What do you think you're doing?"

"Vallière," the vehement in the boy's voice was palpable. Louise approached from behind Ameridan; he kicked himself mentally for allowing the argument to start so close to his young partner. "I am challenging this fool to a duel. You will not interfere!"

"Dueling is strictly forbidden on school grounds," she stated as a matter of fact. Despite her size, a little under a half head shorter than Ameridan himself, she did a fairly good job at appearing intimidating. What he hadn't perceived was the fop-ish boy to calmly toss his hair before responding.

"That is only between nobles dear Zero." Guiche nearly spat the last part at Louise. "I remember that hood from yesterday. You're that commoner that the Zero supposedly summoned, correct?" A nod from Ameridan caused the younger man to smirk widely. "Then as a familiar, you're no more than a commoner. Less so if we're being honest. The rule doesn't apply to him."

Louise was caught, she knew Guiche was right, but she didn't want to have her newest teacher getting into a fight with anyone. Her thoughts were interrupted however, as her familiar walked over to stand in front of her. "Louise, nothing you say at this point can change what must happen. Have faith in me and I'll show them all that you and I are not to be trifled with." His hardened features softened to a sincere smile. Despite the gesture, Louise could feel the determination flowing from her famil… no, her partner. In that moment, Louise could only nod.

Ameridan turned back to Guiche, his smile morphed once more into a cold, hard look. "Thirty minutes. You choose the field of battle."

Guiche for all his bluster, took this seriously now. He had time to calm his nerves thanks to Louise's interruption. Still, he wouldn't back down now that his commoner opponent accepted the challenge. He nodded to the hooded man, "Vestri Court. I'm sure your master will know the way." Turning, Guiche left the courtyard with a flourish of his cape.

"Creators, that boy is going to regret that comment." Ameridan was physically shaking. He had just remarked that not only was he a summoned familiar, but that Louise was by proxy his master. To the rest of this world, he was a slave; he'd show them differently. "Louise, where's my staff?"

Guiche paced back and forth. He had time to think and dwell on the insult paid to him by a mere peasant. A familiar no less. Had he let the insult stand, he would never be allowed to live it down by any of his peers. More than half of the young men that were with him were complete gossip mongers and would spread the word to over half the continent.

Ultimately, he would just show this upstart his place and call it a day. There was no sense in shedding blood after all. What was concerning was the number of people, students mostly, that were showing up to witness the little scuffle. He had told his friends to bring witnesses, but this was almost getting ready to be a mob of people.

The appointed hour had come and near the back of the crowd, Guiche could see some movement in the back. Many of the gathered students were making way for someone. Guiche could only assume it was his opponent for the time being. When the approaching people broke through the last line of students Guiche was able to see them perfectly. The peasant and his little master.

Ameridan strode proudly into the Vestri court, the students parting as he approached. He still had on his hood, platinum blonde locks hung high over his eyes. His eyes were narrowed under his hood, the pale green orbs smoldered. He didn't bother with his armor, Ameridan was a seasoned fighter with many years under his belt. This would normally be over quickly, but Ameridan planned on making this last. The only weapon he brought with him was his staff. Its darker tint did not keep the weapon from catching the light and giving it an almost ethereal glint in the sun.

"I applaud you for appearing at the appointed time commoner," Guiche taunted. "I half expected you to run screaming into the countryside." Ameridan said nothing. He had been so talkative before, now he seemed to have thrown that witty mouth aside. It didn't matter, Guiche would need to put him in his place quickly.

Ameridan glared balefully from under his hood in response to the boy's attempt at riling him up. Guiche didn't appear to take note, he likely assumed that Ameridan was either too stupid to respond or perhaps too scared. He would pay dearly for his miscalculation.

The Elvhen man gave a quick flourish of his staff, signaling that he was ready. The foppish boy scoffed, "Uncultured barbarian. I am Guiche de Grammont, also known by my runic name of Guiche the Bronze." A quick switch of the rose in hand dislodged a petal which then, upon contact with the ground produced a small metal golem with a spear and a shield. Ameridan wasn't a smith but his opponent's flashy title gave him a clue as to what the construct was made of. "My precious Valkyrie shall be your opponent. Have at you!"

The construct rushed forward as fast as it could manage, but Ameridan had encountered faster than this in the Avvar. Flipping the end of his staff until the blade was pointed up, he brought the bladed end down quickly and with enough force to cleave the puppet in two. Following through with his attack, Ameridan flipped the staff to bring the blunted end to bare at the still falling remains. The end of the staff sparked before a gout of flame ushered forth, consuming the remains until the puppet was not but a hunk of red hot metal.

Guiche and those gathered around the two were in shock. This commoner used magic. Moreover, he used it without uttering a single incantation for something that normally would take a few words at least. Things grew stranger still as the air around Ameridan began to chill and fog as though the man were the center of a winter breeze. In the blink of an eye, Ameridan began to close the distance between them at a rapid pace.

Scared for his life, Guiche quickly summoned several more of the golems. They formed a defensive perimeter in front of Guiche, but in a surprise movement Ameridan shoved his staff forward which released another gout of flames. Their heat was enough to cause the younger man to shield his face before he noticed that the distinct sound of the creaking and melting of his precious Valkyries. Before he could create more, a blunt force came down on his forearm. He sharp pain was enough to cause Guiche to lose his hold on his wand. His eyes widened as he looked up from his arm to see who had struck him. In a flash, the bladed end of the staff was brought to bear down on the lad, causing the young mage to fall back onto his backside. "I yield!" he yelped rather indignantly. "Who are you? How can you use several high levels magics of different elements?"

Ameridan flipped his grip on his staff once more, bringing the bladed section just under Guiche's throat. "I have fought dragons. I have fought mages. I have fought demons and abominations the likes of which would twist the very sanity of your mind into mush," Ameridan ranted. "Men, elves, dwarves and qunari have fallen to me. You never stood a chance against me or any of whom have ever followed my lead."

With an exaggerated flourish of his free hand, Ameridan pulled back his hood to reveal his pointed, Elvehn ears. The Vallaslin on his face was a striking contrast to his pale skin. "Originator of clan Ghilain, emissary of the Dalish clans to Orlais and Inquisitor to the Thedosian Inquisition. Chaos flees before me. Evil quakes in my presence. In the name of Andraste and the Creators I will punish those that abused their power and their stations." Lowering the staff until it rested on the earth, Ameridan gave the boy a stern look. "I am Lord Inquisitor Ameridan. Leader of the Seekers of Truth. And I will impart this knowledge to you."

Ameridan knelt and gave a soft smile to the now humbled Guiche. "History and Andraste teaches us that 'Magic exists to serve man and never to rule over him.' Those you call commoners are not meant to serve you, you are called by your magic to serve them."

Standing once more, Ameridan took a few paces back before turning back to Guiche. "I was not born to my title. I would have gladly spent my life in the forests among my people. However, I saw the evil being born of magic left in the wake of Andraste's Exalted March to the Teventor Imperium and decided to take a stand to defend the innocent." His voice filled with conviction, the passion in his words held no room for argument. His gaze moved from Guiche to the gathered crowd of youth and some teachers. "I would challenge any of you gathered here to do better."

He looked about the assembled group. After he had finished his, in his own opinion a rather inspirational speech, he took in the faces of those assembled and saw to his confusion the shocked and horrified faces of the assembled student body. The shock slowly gives way to panic as there are various screams and shouts from the small crowd.

"He's an elf!"

"He'll destroy us all!"

"Brimir preserve us!"

After several expletives the crowd dispersed in a cloud of smoke, leaving only Guiche, Louise and himself in the small courtyard. As if to break the tension Ameridan spoke up. "Was it something I said?"

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **And that's where we end out story today my peoples! Sorry it took so long to get this out. Many new games came out, work has been crappy and I have been drawing/painting. So I'm trying to divvy up my time as best I can. As I've said, this story is just to help me as I try to sort things out and vent. As it stands, I'll update when I can.**

 **If you want to suggest things to help move the story along, have a cool idea that you want me to use or just want to see how the status of the next chapter is coming you can visit the forum I've set up.**

 **Forum:** **myforums/Chimera-Spyke/670094/**

 **I would like to know what kind of spells from Thedas we could use to fill out Ameridan's spell list. As is, I've only used the mage staples Flames and Fade Step.**

 **A big thanks to the following people to follow and favorite this story:**

 **Silly-Scare-Crow**

 **curlyjr**

 **falloutfan158**

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 **xbox432 - I never liked her "personality" either. I always wondered what she would've done should she encounter a mage as a familiar and with the "Jaws of Hakkon" DLC I had just that. Though, him being an elf is just a sick and twisted way for me to have some form of conflict.**

 **3697014: "Freak out" granted!**

 **SammyKai1996: Thanks for the well-wishing and I hope you enjoyed the new chapter.**

 **All right then, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'll do what I can to get the next chapter out. Reviews, suggestions and comments will help inspire the completion of the next chapter. Until next time!**

i *Giwar, Old high German for "aware."


	5. Update

Hey guys! Thanks so much for all the love for my story! I just wanna give you all an update before getting back to all my side projects. The next chapter is coming along nicely... okay, it may be hitting a few snags. Mostly, work has been giving me a lot of new assignments that have been keeping me busy and drained.

Anyhow, I'm still working on the next chapter and a few sketches. I'll keep everyone posted if I can. I'll take this update down after a week or so or just before the next chapter, so be prepared. Well then, back to the creative drawing board!

In the mean time, I'll be posting some thanks and well as some replies to my reviewers. So without further delay, Thanks to everyone that's on this list for watching my story and for being awesome enough to keep up with my slow updates:

· **Magamataman**

· **Hunter of the Moonlight**

· **Artyom-Dreizehn**

· **Inverness**

· **B266**

· **Tacav**

· **goodwin761**

· **Mr. Blanky**

· **Magnorian**

· **ryszardpas42**

· **RedKnight85**

· **Awkwardniqqa**

· **TheDarkTactician**

· **xXxRAIZENxXx**

· **Inkwell Archive**

· **Pensuka**

· **Lostbetweenhereandthere**

· **Nice'n Easy**

· **Sterben-Salamander**

· **halo is bad ass**

· **Koisenso**

· **HazardousRecon**

· **broadcastdct**

· **MercReader**

· **edboy4926**

· **Abaddon Kikoskia**

· **J-Horse is Bae**

· **Lady-Miki-666 (Lady-Homucifer-666)**

· **Abanddon Kikoskia**

· **Edboy4926**

· **MercReader**

· **Broadcastdct**

And for my reviers, responses:

 ** _Kike2410:_** **I just found this out myself. I never really paid much attention to the night sky in Thedas, mostly because the rest of the scenery was just way too captivating. I did confirm this to be fact, I may change it or I may just leave it as a way to show the differences between the two worlds. I'll figure that out before I post the next chapter.**

 ** _Gold crown dragon:_** **Yes, yes it has.**

 ** _Artyom-Dreizehn:_** **I wanted a little humor, especially after sounding a little preachy there at the end.**

 ** _SammyKai1996:_** **I hope I didn't disappoint.**

 ** _Blinded in a bolthole:_** **I had never taken these mages from Tristain to be either observant or all that worldly. Guiche least of all. The kid pretty much tries to hit on anything that has a skirt, so I doubt he would have paid too much attention or at the very least assumed that based on Ameridan's attire that he was a warrior and incapable of using magic. … Is he going to have a class? Who knows. I've always been partial to the Arcane Warrior and it would fit in with the story from the anime but I'm not too certain if it would be too predictable… Oh wait! You've given me an idea! To the lab!**

 ** _Sterben-Salamander:_** **Arcane Barrage is do-able. In fact, I shall add that too his repertoire. Thanks for the suggestion. Don't forget to use the forum for suggestions so I can keep better track of them.**

 ** _halo is bad ass:_ I know right. Do either one of these peoples' races know what toothpaste is?**


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